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A Beginner's Guide to DJ Equipment
Beginner's Guide To DJ Equipment Setups Buying your first DJ setup can be scary. Using our knowledge, we're going to break it down very simply. Please note: you'll always be able to find exceptions, but we are focused on the most popular setups. 1. DJ Turntable Setup * 2x DJ Turntables * 2x DJ Cartridges (needles) * DJ Mixer * DJ Headphones * Vinyl Records * RCA Cables (to connect mixer to audio outputs) The DJ Turntable Setup is a classic. It is the foundation of a traditional DJ setup. We recommend it as a setup for anyone learning how to DJ. It is the most tactile form of DJing and it can also be used as a digital setup with addition of Serato Scratch Live. Go with the Stanton ST.150 Turntable. It's highly-regarded by many of our DJs for its torque motor. It is a great-sounding player for an affordable price. 1.5 DJ Turntable Setup with DJ Software * 2x DJ Turntables * 2x DJ Cartridges (needles) * DJ Mixer * Computer * DJ Headphones * Vinyl Records * RCA Cables (to connect mixer to audio outputs) * DJ Audio Interface The DJ Audio Interface opens up to many possibilities such as playing digital as well as vinyl records. Most professional DJs prefer this set up because it still allows the tactile feel of the turntable setup and it also gives the DJ the option to play music digitally. An audio interface works in preparing music that you bring into your computer. We suggest the Numark DJ IO Audio Interface because its got a dedicated headphone output allowing the DJ to cue and monitor whilst keeping the output pairs intact for re-routing. The box is compact but reliable. With regards to performance, it’s extremely impressive; the ASIO drivers work without any fuss, there’s very little latency and this can be adjusted for smooth playback in most DJ software set-ups. 2. CD DJ Set up * 2 x CD DJ Turntables * DJ Mixer * DJ Headphones * CDs or MP3s What our DJs love about this set up is full control. More control than option 1 and 2 because CD turntables with USB inputs can play digital files from USBs, memory cards, etc. Pioneer XDJ-1000 Digital DJ Player An awesome 7" color touchscreen puts all of the advanced controls and options at your fingertips, making everything from loading the right tunes from USB or Wi-Fi storage intuitive to executing Beat Jump and quantize modes. Top it off with Serato DJ and rekordbox compatibility, and the XDJ-1000 is ready for anything. 2.5 DJ CD Player Setup with DJ Audio Interface * 2 x CD DJ Players * DJ Mixer * DJ Headphones * Computer * DJ Audio Interface This set up allows you to play both CDs and digital files. 3. DJ Controller Set up * DJ Controller * Computer * DJ Software This set up allows for tactile control of your music. It's very portable and you can customize your controller setup to your preference. The Pioneer DJ SB2 DJ Controller & Numark Mixtrack Pro III DJ Controller are the two top controllers to get when you're starting out.